Erasing apparatus and sheet sorting method

Abstract

In one embodiment, an erasing apparatus has a scanner, an erasing unit, a plurality of sheet discharge trays, and a processor. The processor acquires, from image data of a sheet outputted by the scanner, attribute data of the sheet. The processor controls execution propriety of erasing processing by the erasing unit, and sorting processing to discharge the sheet to the plurality of sheet discharge trays, based on the attribute data.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An erasing apparatus, comprising:
 a scanner configured to execute a scan processing to scan a sheet and output image data of the sheet; 
 a heat source configured to execute a decoloring processing to decolor an image formed with decolorable material on the sheet by applying heat and pressure to the sheet; 
 a plurality of sheet discharge trays which house the sheet after the scan processing by the scanner or the sheet after the decoloring processing by the heat source; and 
 a processor configured to:
 acquire attribute data of the sheet from the image data output by the scanner, the attribute data including: security level setting information having a security level value which is set in accordance with necessity of security management of the sheet; confidential information indicating whether or not to discharge the sheet to a prescribed sheet discharge tray out of the plurality of sheet discharge trays; and decoloring execution information indicating whether or not to execute the decoloring processing on the sheet, 
 set a tray flag value indicating which one of the plurality of trays the sheet is to be discharged according to the confidential information, 
 set a decoloring execution flag value indicating whether or not to execute the decoloring processing according to the decoloring execution information, 
 in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than a prescribed value, control whether to execute the decoloring processing based on the decoloring execution flag value, and based on the tray flag value, control an execution of a sort processing to discharge the sheet to the prescribed sheet discharge tray, and 
 in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value, rewrite the tray flag value and the decoloring execution flag value according to the security level value, control whether to execute the decoloring processing based on the rewritten decoloring execution flag value, and control the execution of the sort processing based on the rewritten tray flag value. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The erasing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processor controls whether to execute a storage processing to store the image data output by the scanner based on the attribute data. 
 
     
     
       3. The erasing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the attribute data further includes scan function use information defining whether or not to execute the storage processing to store the image data output by the scanner, and 
 the processor controls whether to execute the storage processing based on the scan function use information in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       4. The erasing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the processor:
 sets a scan flag value for indicating whether or not to execute the storage processing according to the scan function use information, and 
 controls whether to execute the storage processing based on the scan flag value in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       5. The erasing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the processor controls whether to execute the storage processing based on the security level setting information including the security level value without based on the scan function use information in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       6. The erasing apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the processor:
 sets a scan flag value for indicating whether or not to execute the storage processing according to the scan function use information, and 
 in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value,
 rewrites the scan flag value according to the security level value, and 
 controls whether to execute the storage processing based on the rewritten scan flag value. 
 
 
     
     
       7. An erasing method of an erasing apparatus having a scanner, a heat source configured to execute a decoloring processing to decolor an image formed with decolorable material on the sheet by applying heat and pressure to the sheet, and a plurality of sheet discharge trays, the method comprising:
 executing by the scanner a scan processing to scan a sheet and output image data of the sheet; 
 acquiring attribute data of the sheet from the image data output by the scanner, the attribute data including:
 security level setting information having a security level value which is set in accordance with necessity of security management of the sheet, 
 confidential information indicating whether or not to discharge the sheet to a prescribed sheet discharge tray out of the plurality of sheet discharge trays, and 
 decoloring execution information indicating whether or not to execute the decoloring processing on the sheet; 
 
 setting a tray flag value indicating which one of the plurality of trays the sheet is to be discharged according to the confidential information; 
 setting a decoloring execution flag value indicating whether or not to execute the decoloring processing according to the decoloring execution information; 
 in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than a prescribed value, controlling whether to execute the decoloring processing based on the decoloring execution flag value, and based on the tray flag value, controlling an execution of a sort processing to discharge the sheet to the prescribed sheet discharge tray; and 
 in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value, rewriting the tray flag value and the decoloring execution flag value according to the security level value, controlling whether to execute the decoloring processing based on the rewritten decoloring execution flag value, and controlling the execution of the sort processing based on the rewritten tray flag value. 
 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 controlling whether to execute a storage processing to store the image data output by the scanner based on the attribute data. 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the attribute data further includes scan function use information defining whether or not to execute the storage processing to store the image data output by the scanner, and 
 the method further comprises controlling whether to execute the storage processing based on the scan function use information in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 setting a scan flag value for indicating whether or not to execute the storage processing according to the scan function use information, and 
 controlling whether to execute the storage processing based on the scan flag value in a case where the security level value is equal to or less than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 controlling whether to execute the storage processing based on the security level setting information without based on the scan function use information in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value. 
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising:
 setting a scan flag value for indicating whether or not to execute the storage processing according to the scan function use information; and 
 in a case where the security level value is more than the prescribed value,
 rewriting the scan flag value according to the security level value, and 
 controlling whether to execute the storage processing based on the rewritten scan flag value.